Boobs. You nursed on them as a baby. If you're a woman, you felt the
dull ache of them developing into little rosebuds under your Izod. You
blushed as your mother dragged you through the pre-teen section to find
you a training bra. They were a big deal then, and they're a big deal
now. October is breast cancer awareness month, and Leigh Hurst has a
message just for the ladies: Feel your boobies!
Breast cancer is in our national conversation more than ever because unfortunately, almost all of us know someone who has been touched by a scary diagnosis. We all
have to take responsibility for our bodies. What does that mean? That
means putting them in La Perla, if you can. It means feeding a newborn,
if you're a lucky mom. It means self-examinations if you're under 40
and it means mammograms after that. Real ladies take royal care of
their breasts! Read on for more boobie talk.
Amy Swift, Editor in Chief, Ladies Who Launch
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All Boobies are Created Equal
By Leigh Hurst
As a woman, we are prone to be self-critical and are always comparing
ourselves to others. There is an endless list of things that we pick
apart about ourselves each day.
Let's take hair, for example. Who wouldn't love to have beautiful long
thick hair that is the envy of all of our friends? You know the kind
of hair that looks like it's effortless to do each morning; the kind
that can be easily transformed from long locks to a careless ponytail
in seconds. Or what about our skin? We tirelessly buy new products in
pursuit of flawless, ageless skin. We all have that friend -- the one
who rarely needs makeup and might not even do a thorough cleansing each
night before bed. Grrr.
And then... our breasts. They come in all shapes and sizes. Some are
small or nearly non-existent, some are, well, larger than life and some
are too perky for their own good. They are always a topic of
conversation between women, and men are easily hypnotized by them.
There's no shortage of women these days willing to give the "girls" a
little (or big) lift in order to achieve picture perfect breasts.
For me, I've lived the life of a girl with "small boobs" and I've never
really cared too much about the fact that they are little. They have
never been something that defines me -- heck, I never even really
thought about them until I found a lump a few years ago. That's when I
found out that these little boobies had cancer. At that moment, little
did I know that my life from that point forward would revolve around
"Boobies". I talk about Boobies all day, every day -- it's my life now.
Through Feel Your Boobies I've become the
"Boobies girl." This always amuses me when I think about it. I am
thankful to have them and I love everything about them. They are
small, they are mine and they are perfect.
One of the most common comments I heard after being diagnosed with
breast cancer was "I can't believe you have breast cancer, your boobs
are so little." Well girls, this is one case where all boobies are
created equal. Big or small, perky or not so perky; they are all
equally at risk of developing breast cancer. So let's get "feeling"
ladies! Take some time to get to second base with yourself and let's
keep those boobies healthy. After all, let's face it, they may not be
perfect but they're all you have.
Leigh Hurst founded Feel Your Boobies as an awareness campaign aimed
primarily at women under 40. After being diagnosed with breast cancer
at age 33 (in 2004), Leigh felt that for women who are pre-mammogram
age (under 40), feeling your boobies is one of the ways to ensure early
detection. Today Leigh is cancer-free and spreading a call to other
young women to examine their breasts regularly.Learn more at
www.feelyourboobies.com.